26 hours later

Wyoming

Dean pulled the Impala up to the gates of the cemetery that housed the Gates of Hell. The old cowboy cemetery where they had killed the yellow eyed demon; where Sam had killed Jake in a moment of shock and rage. Memories assaulted the brothers as they walked cautiously into the cemetery, armed to the teeth, in search of the demon they were hunting. It was ground zero for a fierce storm, an omen that a powerful demon lurked nearby. The rain lashed Sam and Dean, quickly soaking them as lightening brightened their surroundings, bringing everything into stark relief a millisecond at a time.

They couldn't hear over the thunder so they counted on signs to communicate with each other. Both of them were in full hunter mode, determined to get the best of this last demon, and win this hard fought war. They walked cautiously to the gates, stilling when they heard a Latin chant rise over the wind.

…immortus relvi spiritus te incendia te invictus …

"HEY!" Dean shouted, interrupting the Demon's chant, as he came up behind it.

"I knew you were here," The demon said, turning to meet Dean's gaze in the pounding rain, "you and your brother. It's right where I want you."

"Yeah and why is that?"

"This is a fitting place for you to die, Dean. And for your brother to shatter."

"You're the only one dyin', Bitch. We're sending your ass back to hell."

"You be there before I will."

"I don't think so." Sam said, coming up to make a stand next to Dean.

"Sammy, how nice to see you again. I was hoping you would grace me with your presence, leader." The demon's voice dripped sarcasm on the last word.

"We're here to send you back to hell. We've won this war. It's over."

"Not by a long shot." The demon snarled as he flew into a rage. It lashed out, never quite connecting with Dean, yet he went flying backwards into a large granite headstone.

"Uunnn…" Dean gasped, stunned by the force of the impact.

Sam vented his rage, shooting the demon repeatedly. It didn't go down, but it did stagger, loosing its concentration on its target. The bullets left holes that refused to bleed. The demon howled in rage, turning on Sam. It moved with lightening speed, and before Sam could react, it had him by the throat. Lifting Sam from the ground, it squeezed. Sam struggled to find a breath his face quickly changing colors between lightening flashes. Dean saw what was happening to his brother and regained his footing. He ran to the demon and shot it point blank between the eyes. It dropped Sam in a heap on the muddy ground and again turned its attention to Dean.

"Guh… ohhh. (gasp, cough.)" Sam drew a breath, the cold wet air burning all the way down. Dean again went flying as Sam raised his head to face the demon. This time he rolled just in the mud, not striking anything. He was on his feet again, lashing out with Holy water he'd pulled from his pocket on his rise. The demon hadn't seen that coming. The holy water struck the demon, mingling with the rain and the demon hissed as steam rose from its face.

"You'll die for that, hunter." Sam had pushed his way to his feet as the demon advanced on Dean.

"I don't think so." Dean said as he hit the demon with holy water again, earning another hiss and a screech from the demon. The demon recovered quickly, the rain working against Dean as it washed the holy water from the demon's face. The demon threw an arm into the air and Dean again was knocked for a loop; this time landing against another headstone; thunder and lightening drowning out his strangled cry of pain.

"Dean!" Sam advanced on the demon, pulling a can of salt from his jacket pocket. "You're going straight back to hell, you son of a bitch." He said menacingly. He began circling the demon, chanting. The salt was ground coarsely and formed a circle in the rain on the muddy ground as Sam went around the demon. The rain was not very effective in dissolving the coarse crystals buying the guys the time they needed to exorcise the demon.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus , omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio, et secta diabolica."

Dean forced himself upright and joined Sam in the chant; also circling the demon as it began to shake. He added more salt to the circle that Sam had laid down as he moved in behind his brother.

"Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei…"

"Guh…Aahhh!" The demon began to scream, its black eyes now visible in the lightening flashes. It fought the exorcism, and the power the circles of salt had over it. It screamed again, and the sky blackened, lightening connecting with a massive headstone behind Sam. He stopped chanting as he was roughly thrown to the ground when the headstone exploded. A piece of the black granite tore his jeans along the right leg and embedded itself in his calf. Dean continued the chant, one eye on Sam, as he pulled his handkerchief from his back pocket and made a tourniquet just above the wound.

Sam winced and again forced his way to his feet, picking up the chant again at its finale with Dean. Lightening crashed around them again and again, but Sam and Dean were determined to win this war. The demon was now powerless as the exorcism ripped it from the dead human body it had possessed.

"AAAAHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh!!" Black smoke poured from the corpse's mouth and burst into flames, raining a fine ash to the mud. The body collapsed to the ground. It was over. The war was won. The storm ceased immediately, the night sky settling into glistening relief as the moon broke through the clouds.

Sam met Dean's gaze as he brushed his soaked brown hair out of his hazel eyes. A grimace crossed his features as he lowered himself to the base of the granite headstone that had been blown apart by the lightening.

"Sammy, you alright?" Dean asked as he came up to his brother's side and dropped to one knee in the mud.

"Not really. It hurts pretty bad, Dean."

"Let me see." Dean gingerly used his pocket knife to split Sam's pant leg to get a better view of the wound.

Sam groaned as Dean gently probed the wound. The blood had slowed to a trickle, thanks to Sam's quick thinking with the tourniquet. He dislodged the sliver of granite from the wound and let it bleed clean. It soon stopped again.

"Okay, let's get you to the car. I'll field dress it until we find a motel, then I'll stitch it up for you."

"Okay." Sam stood as Dean reached for him. A sound filled the silence. Beep, beep, beep, beep. Dean froze and looked at Sam.

"Oh God." Sam whispered, tears brimming in his eyes. Dean's eyes filled with tears that spilled over his cheeks.

"Sammy, I…" Dean was cut off by an awful sound. Aaaaarrrrooooooo!

"Dean, god no!" Sam cried as Dean turned to face the sound. He could see them now. Two huge, black mongrels. They resembled Rottweilers, with white eyes and much larger teeth. They were well muscled and tensed as Dean eased backwards away from them, a look of sheer terror on his face.

"No, no, no…not now, not now." Dean staggered backwards from the harbingers of death that awaited him. He fell in the mud and cowered as the dogs advanced on him. Dean screamed and put his arms up over his head in a gesture of protection. The hell hounds pounced on their prey and Sam watched in horror as grievous wounds appeared on his brother's body. They were obviously claw and teeth marks, inflicted by beasts Sam could not see. Dean screamed in agony, writhing on the muddy ground, as blood poured from the wounds.

"NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE! I WON'T LET YOU HAVE HIM!!" Sam screamed, moving in to pull his brother away from the things that were ripping him to shreds. He was flung onto his back in the mud by some invisible force, landing six feet from Dean's side. He struck his head on a low tombstone.

"Urrgh!" He shuddered once and laid still, blood darkening the back of his head. Dean let out an awful cry and ceased movement. The hellhounds had finished their task. They left Dean's lifeless body in the mud and carried his soul towards the Devil's gate, walking right through the closed doors and into the flames of hell.

Dean screamed soundlessly as the hellfire closed in on him. He began to burn. It was just like his nightmare, his soul catching flame like over dry wood. The pain robbed him of the ability to cry, to scream. He knew his eternity was going to be this. Torture. Somehow even through his suffering he couldn't make himself regret the deal. Sam was alive; they'd had another year together. It was all worth it to Dean. He found himself wishing he had told his baby brother he loved him, just once, when Sam was capable of responding. That thought was more torture than anything hell could inflict on him.

Behind him, Dean sensed something through his pain. It was a presence, a strong one. He felt someone pull his soul from the flames, from the grasp hellfire had on it.

"I SAID YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM!!" It was Sam. Dean felt him like he was standing there, soothing the awful pain, shielding him from the fire. Dean turned; the immobilizing grip of hell broken. He saw Sam- his Sammy- standing strong beside him. Sam was glowing, a vibrant white as demons swarmed him. He flung them aside, back into the fires he somehow held at bay with ease. Dean's horrified green gaze looked on. He realized that Sam's rage and grief had caused him to embrace the powers he had inside. He was a powerful psychic now, in full control and wreaking havoc on Hell, with a vengeance. Hell's wrath couldn't touch Sam or Dean as the white light encompassed both. The flames were extinguished, repelled by the light of an unexplainable goodness.

The white glow expanded and brightened as the world shook around them. The intensity blocked out all vision, everything went blindingly white, as an explosion rocked existence.